Alien Shore

Background and Commentary

Alex had appeared on the album Alien Shores by Platinum Blonde eight years before. The voice in the beginning is Alex holding his nostrils closed, saying “out of my nose.”—Robert Telleria, Merely Players

Platinum Blonde was a new wave band that was sometimes called the Duran Duran of Canada. The two Alien Shores tracks on which Alex plays guitar solos are “Crying Over You” and “Holy Water.” At the time of recording, 1985, new wave was at its peak. Rush’s work reflected that influence in Power Windows, released the same year.

“Dualities like race or sex are not opposite but true counterparts—the same yet different—and not to be seen as some existential competition. Polarities are not to be resisted but reconciled: reaching for the alien shore.” (Wilderness of Mirrors)—Neil in Merely Players

“Not everything lives up to it’s potential [on Counterparts], but . . . I like the lyrics to ‘Alien Shore’ particularly.”—Neil in Contents Under Pressure

Lyrics

You and I, we are strangers by one chromosome
Slave to the hormone, body and soul
In a struggle to be happy and free
Swimming in a primitive sea
You and I, we must dive below the surface
A world of red neon and ultramarine
Shining bridges on the ocean floor
Reaching to the alien shore

For you and me, sex is not a competition
For you and me, sex is not a job description
For you and me
We agree

You and I, we are pressed into these solitudes
Color and culture, language and race
Just variations on a theme
Islands in a much larger stream

For you and me, race is not a competition
For you and me, race is not a definition
For you and me
We agree

But that’s just us
Reaching for the alien shore

You and I, we reject these narrow attitudes
We add to each other, like a coral reef
Building bridges on the ocean floor
Reaching for the alien shore

For you and me, race is not a competition
For you and me, sex is not a definition
For you and me, we hold these truths to be self-evident
For you and me, we’d elect each other president
For you and me
We might agree